“Give Anxiety to God”
1 Peter 5:6-14
Pastor John Bright
1 Peter 5 “6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
12 By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
13 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.”
Today, we come to the end of 1 Peter. Just like the beginning of the letter, the end of the letter is formatted in the style of a letter from that day. There are greetings from others, and we also find a “code word” to describe their location. When you study the Book of Revelation, you learn that Babylon is code for the center of power opposed to Christ. In that day, it was Rome, but you could get in trouble if you wrote that name in your letter. We won’t spend much time on the ending – especially the “kiss of love.” 😊
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Assured God cares for me, v. 6-7
“6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
I want everyone to set aside their preconceived notions about God. Open yourselves to a new way of seeing. This will be hard! Our Western, individual mindset makes this new way of seeing it hard to accept. Here is the hard truth: God put you here to bring glory to HIM. Not to please you, or for you to get any glory and praise. God did not put you on this earth for you… He did it for Himself.
Now, try to hold that radical thought right at the top of your brain. Peter begins this section by urging them to humble themselves UNDER God’s mighty hand. Where else do we read this kind of wording in the Bible? We find it in the Old Testament book of Exodus. Remember all those plagues. In some of the plagues, the Israelites were protected. In others, they were not, and they felt the judgment that fell on the Egyptians. Before the plagues, their burdens were increased. When they got into the wilderness, they experienced God’s judgment directly.
We struggle with someone suffering for the actions of another. In that day, they were not so individualistic as we are in this Western World. Whenever I share the Sin of Achan from the book of Joshua, modern folks like to protest. Here’s the story: The Israelites are given a great victory over the large city of Jericho. God instructs them not to take anything from the city. There is a smaller city, Ai, nearby, so they sent about 3,000 troops. Here’s what happened: Joshua 7:5 “5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.”
The Lord tells Joshua they lost because someone sinned by taking items from Jericho. So, they found out it is Achan. Here’s what comes next: Joshua 7:24-26 “24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. 26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.”
We don’t think it’s fair that the soldiers had to die because Achan sinned. We don’t think it’s fair that the whole family had to die because Achan sinned. God’s judgment is always righteous, so we need to accept it and learn from it. There is no private sin. Sin always has consequences that go beyond the person who is sinning. Are you sure, PJ? Have you considered the spiritual consequences for the whole Body of Christ that result from your choices and actions? We tend only to consider the consequences of sin in the physical realm.
In the book of Revelation, God will bring judgment on those who will not turn to Jesus Christ. There will be a final battle led by the Jesus you have never seen on a stained-glass window: Revelation 19:11-15 “11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
Before that battle, there will have to be many, many, many Jesus Followers who are martyred. Those who die for their faith, who will follow Jesus even to death, are all a part of God’s plan. Each one brings glory to God. That’s why we are here – to bring glory to God. If all our suffering can be part of God’s plan, we are free to be encouraged by Peter’s words in verse 7: “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
If I don’t HAVE TO hang onto my cares/worries/anxiety and can be assured of God’s care for me in the midst of trials and tribulations, that’s one ingredient for the recipe of peace in my life instead of anxiety.
Resist the devil v. 8-9
“8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
To do this, we need to be engaged in Spiritual Warfare. First, we need to acknowledge that there is both a physical realm (fallen) and a spiritual realm (good & bad). This is clear in Ephesians 6, where Paul is describing our battle gear: Ephesians 6:11-12 “11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We need to accept the truth that there are forces within the spiritual realm (angels & demons) that can affect the physical realm. Let me give you two reasons why this should not make you anxious.
First, you have the Holy Spirit of God in you if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. You have the same Holy Spirit in you that was in Jesus as He walked this earth. WE DO NOT GET A JUNIOR HOLY SPIRIT! Let me explain this again: there is no comparison between the power of the Holy Spirit in you and the power of the devil. Comparing the two, the power of the devil is like a tiny firecracker, and the power of the Holy Spirit in you is like a NUCLEAR BOMB!
Second, our team is BIGGER! Revelation 12 describes a rebellion in heaven where the devil was defeated and 1/3 of the angels were cast down to the earth. At that point, our team is twice the size of their team. Most of the 1/3 of the fallen angels that were cast down, who are now demons, were placed in a bottomless pit and sealed until the time of the Tribulation. So, right now, our bigger team has gotten MUCH BIGGER! We have the numbers!
At this point, you might be wondering, “Hey PJ, if that’s the truth, why do we seem to be losing?” Good question. Answer: We only play defense when we need to play offense/resist all the time. Peter is telling us: “Be sober, be vigilant.” I am going to sound like a broken record here – stop with the polite prayers all the time. In prayer, start demanding that all the forces of evil get away from you, your family, your home, your church, your community, and even your nation. Can you even imagine the battle forces of angels that God would send forth if we all pressed in to pray and go on the offense/resist? It would be amazing!
Our defense is provided by the Full Armor of God found in Ephesians 6. Not going to go into much detail today. I would recommend this article: https://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html
(I also want to recommend the YouVersion Bible App for your smart phones or computers. Good studies there on the Full Armor of God)
Here’s a quote: “In verse 18, we are told to pray in the Spirit (that is, with the mind of Christ, with His heart and His priorities) in addition to wearing the full armor of God. We cannot neglect prayer, as it is the means by which we draw spiritual strength from God. Without prayer, without reliance upon God, our efforts at spiritual warfare are empty and futile. The full armor of God—truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer—are the tools God has given us, through which we can be spiritually victorious. Satan is a defeated foe.”
Afterwards, God settles it all v. 10-11
“10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Here we see that all Jesus Followers are called to bring glory to God. In this fallen world, we will suffer. Then, God will do a work in us. Our job right now is to “hang in there.” The Bible uses a different term, perseverance. It is part of the process that God uses to bring us the gift of peace when we let go of anxiety. Paul describes it like this: Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
We need to admit that our suffering is not like the suffering in the early church. Our suffering is not like the suffering of those being imprisoned, tortured, and martyred for their faith around the world: the low end of the estimated martyrs around the world is 200 per month. Nobody can give us an exact number. Maybe, one day, we will face this possibility. Will we be ready?
There is a pattern here we may have missed in the past:
• Be assured that God cares for you in the midst of suffering
• Resist the devil, playing offense every day
• After the suffering, God settles it
We have come to the end of 1 Peter. How does he end this letter? With these words: “Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus.” I believe this is a word meant for us in this crazy, mixed-up world of today. I would recommend that you re-read the whole book several times. Let all the truth of God for the Jesus Followers back then find a home in your heart and mind today. Amen
Homework:
• Look up all the Bible verses on your teaching sheet. When you see suffering, is it hard to believe that it could be part of God’s plan?
• This is a recipe for peace that has been placed in your hands today. What will you do with it?
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TEACHING SHEET
Sermon: “Give Anxiety to God”
1 Peter 5:6-14
When you study the Book of Revelation, you learn that Babylon is code for the center of power opposed to Christ. In that day, it was Rome, but you could get in trouble if you wrote that name in your letter.
Assured God cares for me, v. 6-7
God put you here to bring glory to HIM. Not to please you, or for you to get any glory and praise. God did not put you on this earth for you… He did it for Himself.
We struggle with someone suffering for the actions of another: Sin of Achan
Joshua 7:5, Joshua 7:24-26 We don’t think it’s fair that the soldiers had to die because Achan sinned. We don’t think it’s fair that the whole family had to die because Achan sinned. God’s judgment is always righteous, so we need to accept it and learn from it. There is no private sin. Sin always has consequences that go beyond the person who is sinning. Are you sure, PJ? Have you considered the spiritual consequences for the whole Body of Christ that result from your choices and actions?
In the book of Revelation, God will bring judgment on those who will not turn to Jesus Christ. There will be a final battle led by the Jesus you have never seen on a stained-glass window: Revelation 19:11-15 If all our suffering can be part of God’s plan, we are free to be encouraged by Peter’s words in verse 7: “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
Resist the devil v. 8-9
To do this, we need to be engaged in Spiritual Warfare. First, we need to acknowledge that there is both a physical realm (fallen) and a spiritual realm (good & bad). This is clear in Ephesians 6, where Paul is describing our battle gear: Ephesians 6:11-12 We need to accept the truth that there are forces within the spiritual realm (angels & demons) that can affect the physical realm.
Remember: You have the same Holy Spirit in you that was in Jesus as He walked this earth. WE DO NOT GET A JUNIOR HOLY SPIRIT! The power of the devil is like a tiny firecracker, and the power of the Holy Spirit in you is like a NUCLEAR BOMB!
Remember: our team is BIGGER! Revelation 12 describes a rebellion in heaven where the devil was defeated and 1/3 of the angels were cast down to the earth. At that point, our team is twice the size of their team. Most of the 1/3 of the fallen angels that were cast down, who are now demons, were placed in a bottomless pit and sealed until the time of the Tribulation. So, right now, our bigger team has gotten MUCH BIGGER! We have the numbers!
Problem: We only play defense when we need to play offense/resist all the time. Peter is telling us: “Be sober, be vigilant.” I am going to sound like a broken record here – stop with the polite prayers all the time. In prayer, start demanding that all the forces of evil get away from you, your family, your home, your church, your community, and even your nation. Our defense is provided by the Full Armor of God found in Ephesians 6. Not going to go into much detail today. I would recommend this article: https://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html
Afterwards, God settles it all v. 10-11
Romans 5:1-5
There is a pattern here we may have missed in the past:
• Be assured that God cares for you in the midst of suffering
• Resist the devil, playing offense every day
• After the suffering, God settles it
Homework:
• Look up all the Bible verses on your teaching sheet. When you see suffering, is it hard to believe that it could be part of God’s plan?
• This is a recipe for peace that has been placed in your hands today. What will you do with it?
